4-6-2024

Good Morning All,

               Luke 2: 4-5; “And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, ⁵ to be registered with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child.”

     Most people will remember where they were when something big happened.  People of my parent’s generation remember where they were when they heard that Pearl Harbor had been attacked.  Many of us remember where we were when President Kennedy was shot, where we were when the first space shuttle blew up, where we were when the 9-11 attacks occurred.  We remember where we were or what we were doing.

   But do we remember what we were doing on Dec. 6, 1941, or Nov. 21, 1963, or Jan. 27, 1986, or Sept. 10, 2001?  Do we remember what we were doing the day before these momentous days occurred?  I wasn’t alive in 1941; I was too young to remember Pres. Kennedy’s death, but I do vividly remember the Challenger and the 9-11 attacks but the day before; I don’t really have a clue.

    I wonder if Joseph and Mary really had a clue about the next day.  Or were they really just worried about the birth of their promised and prophesied son?  Did they really grasp its meaning?  When they were told that Jesus would save his people, what were they thinking when they ended up in a stable, in a little town away from the big city and power center?  We will never know what they were thinking the day before Jesus was born but we know the response when he was born.

    We are often in this same situation.  We may feel like tomorrow makes no difference and that tomorrow is so far away.  We may feel burdened by the night, by the stresses of this world, by the concerns of what tomorrow might bring.  Yet we can rest assured that whatever waits for tomorrow; God’s love for us is there as well.  We will never face the tomorrows of our life without God there beside us.  Whether it is joy or sorrow, gladness, or sadness, we know that God will make all things work for good for those who love him.  He has promised us salvation and has promised us new life.  Whatever tomorrow brings, it comes under God’s complete control, and it comes unable to wrestle us from God’s loving embrace.

    The boat we ride in may rock and roll but we will never be spilled from the Savior’s redemption.  We may face incredible events tomorrow or the next tomorrow, but we can face with the confidence that God is God, and I am not and his grace and love for me will protect me no matter what tomorrow beings.

Gracious Father, we rest in your loving and protective arms.  Defend us from all that the devil throws at us.  Keep us safe and sure of your mercy.  Father, many are battling and struggling with the pain of this world.  Give them the hope of tomorrow with the promise of your love in their lives.  Defend them and bring to them the peace which only you can bring.  In the precious name of Jesus we pray, amen.

God’s Peace

Pastor Bret